ffc, 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, j 







HISTORY 



NEW TESTAMENT. 



Biographical Sketch 



JESUS CHRIST. 



By CORTES JACKSON. 



"Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth. 






DENVER, COLO.: 

Collier & Cleaveland Lith. Co. 

Printers. 

1887. 



.Si 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1887, 

By CORTES JACKSON, 

[n the office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C. 



TO 



My loved, and venerable 



(Hotter, 



Whose sweet counsel for more than three-score 
years has oast a soft light along life's path- 
way, ever pointing onward and upward 
to that city whose builder and 
maker is God, this volume 
is affectionately in- 
scribed. 



BY THE AUTHOR, 




INTRODUCTION- 



PUSTCE the day that St. John held the pen of 
^ inspiration on the Isle of Patmos to the 
present, never has the spirit of inquiry been 
as active. Truly, men are running to and fro, 
seeking more light — particularly on matters of 
a religious character ; men are eagerly look- 
ing this way and that seeking for light on the 
one, all absorbing theme of a future state. 
This spirit of inquiry may be seen animating 
the bright faces of children in our Sunday 
Schools. 

Religion is bold enough to hold out the hand 
of honest investigation, and shrinks not from 
the most searching criticism. The Bible is 
the book that proposes to solve this, the most 
intricate of all problems ; for this reason the 
Bible is subjected to a fiery ordeal from some 
of the most subtle and powerful minds of the 
age, but, thank God, His flaming sword is 
guarding His sacred word ; the face of Moses 
shines as bright as when the brow of Sinai 
smoked as a furnace and a nation worshipped 



at the feet of their Creator. The wisdom of 
Job throws a strong light on ancient literature ; 
his integrity to God is soothing ten thousand 
bleeding hearts the world over. The clarion 
notes of Joshua's trumpet are shaking the 
walls of the Pa^an world ; the name and smoke 
from Elijah's altar is typified in the hearts of 
enlightened nations. The Samsons are not 
all slumbering on the lap of Delilah, the spirit 
of David is in the field, the prophetic words 
of Isaiah are as immovable as the polar star, 
the wisdom of Solomon has lost none of its 
power, and the voice of Him who spake on 
the placid waters of Galilee as never man 
spake, and the scathing words of Peter who 
spoke in the presence of the Holy Spirit, the 
eloquent tongue of Paul, the fiery words of 
James, and John, the leading star of the world 
in sublime imagery — the combined wisdom of 
these matchless spirits constitute the beacon 
light of the grandest spirits of the age, and a 
grand army of men have this motto inscribed 
on their banner, "I am the light of the world," 
and the marching order of this invincible army 
is, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations." 



The highest aim of a Christian's life should 
be to have his name enrolled in this army of 
the faithful, and ready to give an answer to 
every man that asketh you a reason of the 
hope that is in you with meekness and fear. 



PREFACE. 



THE Apostle Paul writes to his son Timothy, 
"From a child thou hast known the Holy 
Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise 
unto salvation through faith which is in Christ 
Jesus." These words of the apostle have 
prompted me to gather some of the most 
prominent historical facts pertaining to the 
history of our New Testament, putting them 
in book form — hoping they will assist young 
persons to see the genuineness of the New 
Testament books— not knowing of a similar 
work for Sunday schools, and believing the 
words of God are in harmony with such work 
— Deut. vi. 7, "And thou shalt teach them dili- 
gently unto thy children, and thou shalt talk 
of them when thou sittest in thine house, and 
when thou walkest by the way, and when thou 
liest down and when thou risest up." The 
Saviour taught, "Suffer little children to come 
unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." 
Let us remember well the destiny of our 



6 

state and church will soon be committed to 
the hands of the children of the coming gen- 
eration. This truth cannot be too firmly im- 
pressed on the hearts of those who love the 
words of Jesus, "And ye shall know the truth, 
and the truth shall make you free." And the 
words of the apostle testify, "Where the spirit 
of the Lord is there is liberty." As we are 
walking in the sunshine of this blessed freedom 
may God help us to guard with a jealous eye 
the liberties of our children, remembering 
that, to a large extent, our public schools have 
been robbed of the Bible, and the children 
left to grope their way in moral darkness by 
a power that thinks no good of our religious 
liberty. This should force us to be the more 
determined to teach the Bible and Bible liter- 
ature in our Sunday Schools that children may 
know the certainty of those things wherein 
they are instructed, remembering it is a 
Christian duty to "walk in wisdom toward 
them that are without, redeeming the time." 

As to the general arrangement of this work, 
it may not be all that could be desired, but I 
trust its simplicity and truthfulness will claim 



for it an acceptable place in Sunday School 
literature. 

I hope, giving the Apostle Peter a promi- 
nent position among those who compiled the 
New Testament will meet with thoughtful 
consideration from those who have not con- 
sidered him in this line of work. 

If this book becomes a favorite with that 
class of people who have neither time nor 
means to acquire such knowledge, I have ob- 
tained my reward. 

ESP^I hope, as far as practicable, teachers 
in Sunday Schools will introduce this as a 
premium booh. 



History of the Now Testament 

No book has so firmly rooted itself in the 
heart of the American people as the New 
Testament Scriptures. In the innermost life 
of the American home its silent teachings 
have moulded the characters of the grandest 
and purest of our nation, by whose wisdom 
the tree of religious and political liberty has 
been enabled so to nourish that nations are 
crowding to seek a home under the shadow 
of its branches. The Bible, by its fruits, has 
forced the infidel to admit it is the book of 
Christian civilization; and shall I hesitate to 
spread before the children of our Sunday 
Schools a history of our New Testament? 
Surely they are entitled to such knowledge 
as large numbers are devout Christians. God 
being my help, they shall have a few historical 
facts, easily understood, and which no man 
will gainsay. In commencing, it will simplify 
the work to submit a few questions. 

i. How many books are there in the New 
Testament I 



10 

2. By whom were they written ? 

3. Who selected the books ? 

4. At what time was the work done ? 

5. By what rule was the selection guided ? 

6. About what time was the work com- 
pleted ? 

7. How were the books preserved ? 

To answer these questions plainly, seems to 
be a duty imposed on Christians by the words 
of the apostle, Col. iv.- "Walk in wisdom 
toward them that are without, that ye may 
know how ye ought to answer every man." 
The first question is briefly answered by stat- 
ing that the New Testament is composed of 
twenty-seven books. 

The second question is easily disposed of 
by saying, from the most reliable testimony, 
it is admitted that they were written by 
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, 
Peter and Jude. 

Before answering the third query, it will 
not be without interest to notice a few things 
pertaining to these books. They were written 
at different times; often the writers were 
wide apart. Matthew wrote while in Judea; 



11 

Mark, in Rome; Luke, in Greece; John, in 
Ephesus; Paul, in Corinth. Some were writ- 
ten to churches, others to individuals; not 
unfrequently they were written under the 
most trying circumstances, as the Asostle Paul 
wrote chained in prison, weeping. Most of 
these writers were illiterate ; but Luke was a 
physician and a learned man. Paul's writings 
reveal the greatness of his natural and acquired 
abilities. On undisputed authority it appears 
about the close of the first century a number 
of historical books of the character of Mat 
thew, Luke and John had been written, setting 
forth the life, doctrine, death, resurrection and 
ascension of Jesus Christ of Bethlehem of 
Judea, and a great many epistles written by 
the Apostles and other Christians on matters 
relating to the building up of the churches. 
Possibly one hundred and fifty books of this 
character at this time might have been found 
deposited in chests belonging to the older 
churches — Jerusalem, Ephesus, Rome and 
others. How the work of examining and 
testing these books, selecting those of a 
divine character, and rejecting others, and by 



12 

whom this work was commenced, should be 
shown clearly and certainly. The Apostle 
Paul justifies this position in his defence be- 
fore King Agrippa : "I speak freely ; for I 
am persuaded that none of these things are 
hidden from Him, for this thing was not done 
in a corner." In one of his epistles he testifies 
that Christ was seen at one time after his res- 
urrection of about live hundred brethren. 
"After that he was seen of James; then of 
all the Apostles." 

The apostles sought not out of the way 
places, neither did they confine their manifes- 
tations of supernatural power to the rabble, 
but preferred large cities, the centers of power 
and learning, and shrank not from the pres- 
ence of philosophers, statesmen and rulers of 
nations. That man)' had in the times of the 
apostles written concerning Christ and His 
doctrine, may be inferred from reading the 
first chapter of Luke, "For as much as many 
have taken in hand to set in order .a declara- 
tion of those things which are most surely 
believed among us, it seemed good to me to 
write unto thee in order, most excellent The- 



13 

ophilus." Probably this was written before 
A. D. 60. Luke warrants the conclusion that 
many of those historical books had been writ- 
ten at this early date. In the fifteenth chapter 
of the book of Acts it is recorded that letters 
were written by the church in Jerusalem and 
sent to the brethren in Antioch Syria and 
Cilicia by the hands of Barnabas and Paul 
about the year A. D. 52. When these epis- 
tles were read the brethren rejoiced. In the 
Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians he 
requests that his epistle be read to the Laocli- 
ceans. These books and epistles were written 
on vellum or parchment made from the skins 
of goats or sheep, prepared for the purpose. 
When not in use they were rolled up and 
deposited in a chest, kept in the church for 
such purposes, and carefully guarded. Such 
was the practice of the early Jews. What 
Moses received of God he was commanded to 
write in a book. Ex. xvii., 14. "And Moses 
instructed the Levites to take the book of the 
law and put it in the side of the Ark of the 
Covenant." Deut. xxxi., 26. 

To show that such was the custom of the 



14 

early churches, we give a quotation from a 
writer of note who lived in the Second cen- 
tury, Marcion. who says that the gospels came 
down "from the very beginning" and "from 
the apostles," and bad been kept as a sacred 
deposit in churches planted by the personal 
labors of the apostles. The practice of send- 
ing epistles from one church to another, we 
have shown from Paul's letter to the Colossians; 
by such practice the early churches became 
familiar with the writings and teachings of 
each other. This fact is plainly taught by the 
following words of the Apostle Peter, "Even 
as our beloved Brother Paul, also, according 
to the wisdom given him, hath written to you ; 
as also in all his epistles." In those days the 
apostles often traveled from one church to 
another, "and when they had preached the 
gospel to that city and had taught many, they 
returned again to Lystria and to Iconium and 
Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples/' 
In those days of trial and persecution the 
churches felt they were bound together by a 
common cause, as they had a common enemy* 
To encourage them they received special words 



15 

from the Holy Spirit. Such words are found 
in Acts, "The Holy Spirit said, separate me, 
Barnabus and Saul." Often they were animated 
by a love of independence, as Paul declares in 
his first epistle to the Thessalonians, that he, 
" laboring night and day because he would not 
be chargeable unto any of you, we preached 
unto you the gospel of Grod." In these clays of 
poverty, toil and bitter persecution, books and 
epistles continued to accumulate in the churches. 
No doubt this fact arrested the attention of 
the apostles. Possibly as early as the year 
50, they began to realize the truth that so 
many books would lead to confusion, errors 
and probably divisions. The question would 
naturally come up, are all these books to be 
accepted in the churches as the word of God ? 
Should not these books be carefully examined 
by competent authority \ Did not the words 
of the Saviour furnish this power? He had 
taught the apostles that the Holy Spirit should 
•teach them all things, and bring all things to 
their remembrance whatsoever He had said 
to them. Again He taught : When the spirit 
of truth is come, He will guide you into all 



16 

truth. Did not this teaching foreshadow the 
future work of the Apostles ? Were they not 
careful to follow the instructions of the Holy 
Spirit, that the apostles considered it a part 
of their mission to put whatever they had 
taught the churches in writing, that they might 
be kept for the use of the church in future 
ages. 

This may be gathered from the Second 
Epistle of Peter, "Moreover, I will endeavor 
that ye may be able after my decease to have 
these things always in remembrance ;" from 
the words of the Saviour to Peter, " I will 
give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of 
Heaven." At another time He spoke to him 
in tjiis wise, "Feed my sheep ; feed my lambs." 
From such scripture would not the eyes of 
the apostles and the church be turned to 
Peter as the man to commence one of the 
most important works ever committed to the 
hands of the primitive church, namely, the 
selecting of those books that should be re- 
ceived in the church as the word of God in 
all ages to come ? Were not the apostles 
with him on the day of Pentacost, when be 






17 

nobly began this work by standing up in the 
presence of the Holy Spirit and preaching 
Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and pro- 
claimed His triumphant resurrection? And 
a few years after who but Peter, in the face of 
his Jewish brethren, had the boldness to preach 
free salvation to Jew and Gentile, testifying, 
"of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter 
of persons, but in every nation he that feareth 
Him and worketh righteousness is accepted 
with him ? " Also, on reading his words as 
recorded in his Second Epistle, "Even as our 
beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom 
given unto him, hath written unto you in all his 
Epistles." Here are the Epistles of Paul 
spoken of by Peter, and their wisdom admitted 
from this time to the present. Have not the 
Epistles of Paul been generally admitted as a 
part of God's word ? With these facts before 
us, can we reasonably draw any other conclu- 
sion than that the Apostle Peter commenced 
the work of selecting those books which com- 
pose our New Testament ? 

Is it not pleasant to realize that Peter, for 
more than eighteen centuries, has been feed- 



18 

ing the lambs of God with the bread of life \ 
All are willing to admit that Peter was 
guided by the Holy Spirit, and wrote his 
epistles about the year CO. If the conclusion 
reached is not at fault, it shows that the work 
of compiling the New Testament was begun 
as early as A. D. 60. From the best history 
we have, this work was continued for more 
than forty years by the Apostles, fathers and 
elders of the churches, in a work of such vital 
importance to the perpetuity of the church 
and salvation of. men. I believe good men 
are ready to admit those men were guided by 
the light of God's word, and upheld by the 
power of His Holy Spirit; and no doubt the 
following words of Jesus were like bright 
clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night: 
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh 
profiteth nothing; the words that I speak 
unto you, they are spirit and they are life." 
Possibly these words were constantly before 
those holy men, as a rule to guide them in 
this work ; and those sacred books and Epistles 
that possessed the power to enlighten the 
mind and quicken the heart, imparting a 



19 

spiritual life, were accepted as God's word. 
This was divine testimony, and no other than 
the work of the Holy Spirit. Such books 
were not slow in taking a deep and lasting 
hold on the hearts and lives of individuals, 
rapidly gaining power over one congregation 
and another, confirming the truth that they 
were the words of the Holy Spirit. In testi- 
mony whereof, the Apostle James writes: 
"Of His own will begat us with the word of 
truth." This grand work of the Spirit went 
on quietly ; no confusion, no strife, but swiftly 
from church to church. Their power was felt 
in the various churches of the first century. 
Scattered abroad in many countries, those 
books which make up the New Testament 
were chosen as God's word. Those books 
that failed to enlighten the mind and impart 
a spiritual life were neglected and rapidly 
went out of use, and but very few have sur- 
vived to the present time. Remember, up to 
this time history furnishes no account of the 
convening of a general council of the various 
churches for the purpose of deciding what 
books or Epistles should be accepted as the 



20 

word of God, and what books should be re- 
jected; but, as shown above, this important 
work was quietly performed by good and 
faithful men, guided by the word and spirit 
of the Lord. 

From reliable history it is probable that 
prior to the year A. D. 50, quite a number of 
the New Testament books were in use among 
the churches. It is generally admitted that 
the Apostle John lived to about the close of 
the First century ; and if we conclude that at 
this time all of our sacred books were received 
in the churches as divine, we cannot be far 
from the truth. Possibly John may have 
been familiar with most of them. 

To show that the books of the New Testa- 
ment were written and received as God's word 
in the First century, we will introduce the 
testimony of men of undoubted character, 
who wrote in the Second, Third and Fourth 
centuries. It has been said, as pertaining to 
the history of the church of the Second cen- 
tury, Polycarp stands pre-eminent, He was 
born about the year A. D. 58, and very early 
in life became a member of the church, prob- 



21 

ably when about fifteen years old. "Remem- 
ber thy Creator in the days of thy youth." 
From reliable church history it is reasonable 
to believe that he had "conversed with many 
who had seen Christ," and that "he was 
instructed by Apostles." For many years 
he was Bishop of the church in Smyrna. It 
is stated that he was a disciple of the Apostle 
John about the close of the First century. He 
was a man of character and standing among 
the churches that had been planted by the 
Apostles. This gave him the best of oppor- 
tunity of being acquainted with their writings. 
He wrote a number of epistles to the different 
churches ; one of these, written to the church 
in Philippi, has been preserved. It was writ- 
ten about the year 115. In this he alludes 
to Paul's Epistle to the same church, and 
exhorting the brethren to observe its teach- 
ings. He makes frequent quotations from 
the historic books of Matthew, Luke and 
Mark, making liberal quotations from Acts, 
most of Paul's Epistles, and one of Peter's; 
sometimes quoting almost entire chapters. 
These facts, coming from a man who had 



22 

been taught by an Apostle, is undoubted tes- 
timony that those books were in use in the 
churches in his time as books written by the 
authority of the Holy Spirit Such a conclu- 
sion stands firm to the present day. 

Irenseus, Bishop of Lyons, about 176, wrote 
that he had seen and talked with Polycarp. 
"I can tell the place in which the blessed 
Polycarp sat and taught, and his going out 
and coming in, and the manner of his life ; 
how he related his conversation with John 
and others who had seen the Lord ; all which 
Polycarp related agreeably to the Scriptures. , ' 
This godly man ended his life at a martyr's 
stake about the year 155. 

The second person we call attention to is 
Clement of Alexandria, born about the year 
166 ; a man of learning, whose influence was 
felt over a large portion of the civilized world. 
From the writings of Eusebius, it appears that 
Clement speaks of Paul's Epistle to the 
Hebrews as being written in Hebrew, and 
translated by Luke into the Greek. Quite a 
number of his writings are extant. From 
these we can gather every name of the New 



23 

Testament books, except three or four of the 
Epistles. Eusebius testifies that he made no 
regular catalogue of New Testament books, 
but he gave an explanation of them all, which 
is equivalent. 

The next person is Tertullian of Carthage, 
a man of great influence in the churches of 
Africa. He wrote about the close of the 
Second century. He testifies that in his time 
there was a Latin version of the New Testa- 
ment current in Africa; on sifting carefully 
the testimony of these three eminent men, 
may not the conclusion be a safe one, that at 
the close of the Second century all the princi- 
pal books of the New Testament were current 
all over the civilized world as the works of 
the authors to whom we still ascribe them? 
Tertullian was the one to give this collection 
of books the title of the New Testament. 

In order to correct an erroneous impression, 
which has gained a foothold in the minds of 
many good people, permit us to make the 
following statements : According to church 
history, about 364, a large number of churches 
met in council in Laodicea ; and, some thirty- 



24 

three years after, a similar council convened 
in Carthage, largely represented by churches 
in Africa. Remember, the object of those 
councils 'was not for the purpose of decid- 
ing what books should be received by the 
churches, and what should be rejected; noth- 
ing of this nature was attempted. Their main 
object appears to have been to confirm in use 
those sacred books which had been handed 
down to the churches by the fathers. (Those 
fathers were the apostles, elders and early 
disciples, who had gained positions of noto- 
riety in the church by their godly work.) 
Please bear in mind, in those councils no 
attempt was made to vote any of the books 
of the New Testament into position or out of 
position, into power or out of power, as a vote 
is usually taken ; but many years before those 
councils convened, those books which com- 
pose our New Testament had gained their 
places in the hearts, and their power over the 
lives of the early Christians, as has been stated 
above. 

It will be of interest to the young reader to 
give a few items concerning the council which 



25 

met in Carthage about A. D. 397. It was 

composed of the bishops of the African 
churches in the Roman province of that 
name. This council recorded the names of 
the books of the New Testament in the fol- 
lowing order: "Pour books of the Gospels, 
one book of Acts of Apostles, thirteen Epistles 
of the Apostle Paul, one of the same to the 
Hebrews, two Epistles of the Apostle Peter, 
three of John, one of James, one of Judas, 
one book of the Apocalypse of John." In 
conclusion, the council states: "We have 
received from our fathers that these are to 
be read in the churches." Please notice these 
words — no voting, no effort to place any book 
into position or out, but confirming the use of 
those books received and in use by the fathers 
of the churches. 

In connection with what has been said, 
will not the words of Paul be in place — 
1 Cor. xv. 3 : " For I delivered unto you, 
first of all, that which I received; how that 
Christ died for our sins, according to the 
Scriptures ; was seen of Cephas, then of the 
twelve; after that He was seen of about five 



26 

hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater 
part remain unto this present ; after that He 
was seen of James, then of all the Apostles; 
last of all He was seen of me." Remember, 
this is Paul's testimony, written while he was 
in Philippi, about twenty-seven years after 
the crucifixion of Christ. About three years 
after this the Apostle Peter, writing from 
Babylon, testifies, 11 Pet., i:lC, "For we have 
not followed cunningly devised fables when 
we made known unto you the power and 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were 
eye witnesses of His Majesty." Peter declares 
that he has written these things, that after his 
decease the brethren might always have them 
in remembrance. These words of Peter are 
worthy of note ; that his testimony should be 
kept in remembrance in all ages by the 
churches. Is not this satisfactory evidence 
that, about the close of the Fourth century, all 
the books of our New Testament were in use 
as "Divine Scriptures," and had been held in 
high esteem by the "Fathers" of the venerable 
Bishops who sat in this council ? And they 
testify that these books had been in use so 



27 

long as to be regarded by them as having 
proceeded from the Apostles. It will be of 
interest to state that Athanasius of Alexandria, 
a noted Greek writer, who wrote about A. D. 
340, gives a list of the New Testament books, 
which is the same as we have, lie declares 
that those who had been "eye witnesses and 
ministers of the Word" had delivered these 
to the fathers. 

Eusebius, who wrote the first church his- 
tory that has come down to our day, flourished 
in the close of the Third century. He is 
called the- father of church history. It ap- 
pears he was Bishop of the church in Csesarea. 
He lived in the time of a severe persecution, 
which took place in the year 305 of Diocletian, 
a Roman emperor, when all the books of the 
Sacred Scriptures were commanded to be 
burned. This shows that at this early date 
the Christian Scriptures were well known to 
the heathen world, and in use all over the 
Roman empire. 

Origen, one of the most eminent Greek 
writers of the early church, wrote early in 
the Third century. His book against Celsus, 



28 

written in defense of Christianity, is consid- 
ered one of the most noted books of antiquity. 
In this book he gives a complete catalogue of 
the New Testament books. 

In summing up the testimony of these 
eminent men, we have traced the existence 
of the books of our New Testament to the 
second generation after that of the Aj^ostles, 
and at that time they were widely circulated 
over the world as Apostolic writings, and they 
testify they had received these books from 
their fathers, who had received them from 
the contemporaries of the Apostles. About 
the close of the Second century the books of 
the New Testament were in such demand that 
they were translated into other languages. 
This fact shows that the doctrine taught in 
these sacred books had created a deep interest 
in the heart of other nations beside the Jews, 
and this was done in the face of powerful 
enemies. 

Having briefly given a few of the leading 
facts concerning the history of the twenty- 
seven books of our New Testament down to 
about the close of the Fourth century, is it 



29 

not one of the most remarkable facts in the 
history of the church that about this time 
God, in His wisdom, had a complete copy of 
the Bible, including the books of the New 
Testament, written in Greek? The church 
lost all knowledge of the existence of these 
books for over 1,500 years; then He directs 
the steps of that good man Tischendorf to the 
foot of Mount Sinai, and brings to the light of 
the world the most valuable of Biblical treas- 
ures — the Sinaitic manuscript. Surely the 
steps of the good man are ordered by the 
Lord. 

How these sacred books were preserved 
and handed down from one generation to 
another, dating from the council in Carthage, 
A. D. 397, to the date of Tyndales— transla- 
tion more than a thousand years — is of deep 
interest to the church, and can be studied, 
with profit by young Christians. 

In the Fourth century Damasus, Bishop 
of Rome, applied to a man noted for his 
great learning and piety, at that time living 
in Bethlehem of Judea, by the name of 
Eusebius Heronymus, better known to his- 



30 

tory as St. Jerome, to give a faithful version 
of the New Testament. After much patient 
toil he completed a noble work in A. D. 385 ; 
and possibly it would be safe in concluding that 
he used many manuscripts written in the last 
days of the Apostles. His version acquired 
the title of Vulgate, or common version. It 
has been written : "No other work has had 
such influence on the history of the Bible. 
For more than a thousand years it was the 
parent of every version of the Scriptures in 
Western Europe, and its influence is quite 
perceptable on oar authorized version." And 
let it be remembered, that from the date of 
this Latin vulgate to the time that John 
Wickliffe made his translation into the Eng- 
lish, was a period of almost a thousand years, 
which is spoken of in history as the Dark 
Ages. Remember, in all this dark period, 
through the use of this Latin vulgate, God 
raised up good and faithful men, who con- 
tended earnestly for the faith once delivered 
unto the Saints. It was a period when 
ignorance and vile superstition had the con- 
trolling influence over the nations of Europe, 



31 

and the word of God was sought by kings 
and priests — not that they might learn the 
way of truth, but destroy it from the face of 
the earth. While nations and kingdoms rose 
and crashed against each other, fell in ruin 
and passed away forever, God kept an eye 
over His sacred word. In His own good 
time He put it into the heart of His faithful 
servant, Wm. Tyndale, for the first time to 
translate His word from ancient Greek manu 
scripts into England's native tongue. Remem- 
ber, John Wickliffe had made his translation 
about one hundred years before, from the 
Latin vulgate, but few copies were put in 
circulation, as it was before the art of print- 
ing had been invented. Tyndales' translation 
was the first New Testament printed in the 
English language, which was completed in 
1526. This was but the dawn of a brighter 
and more glorious day for England. It will 
be interesting to the young reader to learn 
through what trials and dangers Tyndale had 
to pass in order to accomplish his grand work. 
While collecting his Greek manuscripts, on a 
certain occasion, he made this noble declara- 



32 

tion : " If God spare me I will one day make 
the boy that drives the plough in England to 
know more of the Scriptures than the Pope 
does." At this time the art of printing had 
become a success, and he had determined that 
England should have the word of God spread 
among her people, if it should cost him his 
life. The Pope was his bitter enemy, and 
England was not his friend. He was com 
pelled to nee into Germany, where the cold 
winds of poverty pinched him sorely; but 
the Lord was with him, and helped him to 
collect a sufficient number of manuscripts to 
complete his work. Remember, all the earlier 
English versions were but translations of a 
translation, being derived from the Vulgate or 
older Latin versions. Tyndale is the first to 
go back to the original Hebrew and Greek, 
seeking for the truth. He embodied that in 
so noble a translation, that no improvement 
of great importance has been made to the 
present clay. "Every succeeding version is 
in reality little more than a revision of Tyn- 
dale's; and it has been remarked, that our 
authorized version owes to him chiefly the 



33 

ease and beauty for which it is so admired.' 1 
Mr. Froude says, "The peculiar genius which 
breathes through the English Bible, the min- 
gled tenderness and majesty, the Saxon sim- 
plicity, the grandeur, unequaled, unapproached 
in the attempted improvements of modern 
scholars — all are here bearing the impress of 
the mind of one man, and that man Win. 
Tyndale." 

We have hastily followed the history of 
the New Testament from the year A. D. 64 — 
about the time Peter wrote his Epistle — to the 
printing of Tyndale's translation in 1520, a 
long period of more than thirteen centuries ; 
and surely those who pause and reflect over 
this dark period of the world's history, will 
be deeply impressed with the wonderful over- 
sight that God has over His sacred word, 
realizing the words of the Apostle, "The 
Heavens shall pass away with a great noise, 
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, 
the earth, also, and the works that are therein 
shall be burned up ; but the word of the Lord 
endureth forever." In this troublesome period 
thousands of valuable books were lost, to ap- 



34 

pear among men no more forever. God's 
word emerged from this gloom to shine in 
the hearts of men with all its wonted power, 
and to-day the world can behold nations 
walking in all the splendor of God's inspira- 
tion. " Righteousness exalteth a nation, but 
sin is a reproach to any people." 

A few more items will bring us down to 
our standard version First, remember the 
early copies of the New Testament were not 
divided into chapters and verses, as at present ; 
the division into chapters was made in 1248, 
and into verses about 1551. The number of 
the verses were placed in the margin. This 
division of the chapters into verses was recog- 
nized by the Geneva Bible, which was a most 
excellent work, made and published in Geneva 
about 1559, by a company of English scholars 
who, like Tyndale, on account of bitter perse- 
cution, had ned from England and made cheir 
home in Geneva. This was the first copy of 
the New Testament to use italics for all words 
not occurring in the original. About the year 
1633, a small edition was published in Hol- 
land, in which the verses were marked by 



35 

breaks in the texts, (and not by numbers in 
the margin.) This form has been adopted 
in our standard version, often at the expense 
of the sense of the text. 

In order that we may appreciate the motive 
which led King James of England, in 1604, 
to consider the matter of a new version, which 
led to our standard version, it will be neces- 
sary to briefly state the religious condition 
of England at that time. There were three 
versions of the Bible in use among the people, 
each reaching out for popular favor. The 
Geneva was rather the favorite of the peo- 
ple at large — a rival version known as the 
Bishop's Bible, which was supported by 
ecclesiastic authority; while the great Bible 
of Henry VIII. might have been seen chained 
to stone or wooden desks in many of the 
rural churches. The tendency of these rival 
versions was to foster a feeling of variance 
among the people. With such surround- 
ings King James thought, very wisely, the best 
thing to do was to call together a company of 
fifty-four men noted as scholars, men of high 
standing, and a few men not connected with 



36 

religious party, but noted for great learning. 
With this company, after years of honest 
toil, King James was enabled to give to 
England, in the year 1611, a grand version 
of God's word, which, for more than two 
hundred years, has been the leading power 
of Christian civilization. This is "how Ave 
have obtained the New Testament that we 
hold in our hands to-day, and millions of our 
race are enjoying the same blessing. We 
shall thank the Lord if this short history will 
enable the Christian to give a reasonable 
answer to the question of, How did we obtain 
the New Testament ? 

Believing it will be acceptable to a large 
majority of readers, we shall briefly give a 
history of the new version in connection with 
this. It will not be out of the way to pay 
some attention to three important manu- 
scripts that were counted worthy of careful 
attention by the revisers. One of the most 
important of these manuscripts is that of the 
Vatican. It is generally considered to be the 
most ancient of the three ; by some writers it 
is believed to be over fifteen hundred years 



37 

old. It is the property of the Roman Catholic 
Church, and is deposited in the Pope's library 
in Home, and is usually spoken of as the 
Vatican manuscript. On account of its great 
age, and other reasons, it is held in very high 
esteem by Bible scholars ; but on account of 
its not being a complete copy of the New 
Testament, its value is limited, as a number 
of entire chapters are wanting. It has seven 
hundred leaves of fine vellum, about one foot 
square, bound together in book "form ; the 
writing is perfectly clear and legible after a 
lapse of fifteen hundred years; each page 
contains three colums, and the writing is in 
capital letters, without any division between 
the words. This was done at a time when 
writing material was scarce and expensive. 
This manuscript has been in the Vatican about 
five hundred years. 

The Sinaitic is the next we call attention 
to. It has been given this name on account 
of the place where it was discovered by Dr. 
Tischendorf, a German scholar who spent 
many years of his life in hunting up ancient 
Bible manuscripts. It is written in Greek, 



38 

and contains most of the books of the Old 
Testament and all of the New complete, mak- 
ing it the most valuable of all manuscripts; 
written on fine vellum, containing 790 pages, 
about thirteen inches wide and full fourteen 
long. Trusting that it will add interest to 
our work, we will give a short account of its 
discovery, which- was accomplished in 1859, 
by Dr. Tischendorf, the great German scholar, 
who spent the most of his life in the study 
of ancient manuscripts of the Bible. He 
traveled all over the east, searching every old 
library he could get access to, often under 
very trying circumstances. In the year 1 844, 
he visited a convent situated at the loot of 
Mount Sinai. On examining the library of 
the convent, in a hall, he noticed a basket full 
of old parchments. What was his surprise to 
find a number of sheets of the Septaugent 
(Greek) Old Testament, the most ancient- 
looking manuscripts he had ever seen. With 
these valuable sheets he returned to Germany. 
In 1853, he made another visit to the convent, 
but without making any new discovery. But, 
not willing to give up his search for the truth, 



39 

in 1859, again lie made his appearance at the 
foot of that sacred mountain where Moses re- 
ceived from the hand of God that law which 
has become the guiding star of the civilized 
world. This time he came with commenda- 
tions from the Czar of Russia. One evening, 
walking with the steward of the convent, the 
monk asked him into his cell to take some 
refreshments. Scarcely had they entered the 
cell, when he took down a bundle wrapped in 
red cloth. Tischendorf opened the parcel and 
found, not only those fragments that he had 
seen fifteen years before, but also other parts 
of the Old Testament — the New Testament 
complete. He says: "I knew that I held in 
my hand one of the most precious Biblical 
treasures in existence, a document whose age 
and importance exceeded that of any I had 
ever seen, after twenty years' study of the 
subject. ,, Through the influence of the of- 
ficials of the Greek Church, after much diffi- 
culty, he finally succeeded in obtaining the 
manuscript for the Imperial Library, at St 
Petersburg. After all his toils and trials, 
about the month of November, 1859, he had 



40 

the pleasure of presenting it to the Czar of 
Russia, and to-day it is the property of the 
Greek Catholic Church, safely stored in the 
Library of St. Petersburg. 

How significant that God should select this 
sacred mountain where, more than 3,000 years 
ago, He appeared in all His grandeur, and 
gave to His servant, Moses, His written law ! 
Surely it was a suitable place to keep His 
Holy Word for fifteen hundred years, while 
nations and kingdoms have passed away for- 
ever, that His children of to-day might read 
its sacred pages. 

The Alexandrian manuscript has 793 leaves, 
and two columns to the page. It is not a com- 
plete copy of the New Testament, as more 
than twenty chapters of the book of Matthew 
are wanting, and parts of other books are 
missing. It is safely deposited in the British 
Museum as the property of the English nation. 
It was presented to King Charles I. of Eng- 
land, by Cyril Lucar, Bishop of Constanti- 
nople, in 1628 ; possibly, it is some 1 ,400 years 
old. 

Is it not rather remarkable that the three 



41 

great manuscripts just described, the most 
important known, are in possession of three 
great religious bodies of the world ? It will 
be seen that the men who gave to the world 
the new version, had many advantages over 
those who gave us the standard version; the 
new version is the combined work of thirty- 
five scholars in Europe and fifteen in America. 
In this company seven denominations were 
represented; the first edition was published 
in England and America in May, 1881. This 
is how we obtained our new version, which has 
been printed by millions. Surely, the time is 
not far in the future when the knowledge of 
God's word will cover the face of the earth as 
the waters do the mighty deep. 

By some persons it is claimed that the 
Sinaitic manuscript gave no new light to the 
authors of the new version. If this be true, 
does it imply that it was of no valued JNot 
by any means, no one will call in question 
its value in more ways than one, as some have 
concluded that it confirmed the truthfulness 
of some matters around which for years there 
had lingered a feeling of uncertainty ; and its 



42 

value to the church at large will never be 
overestimated. In its mission to the church 
of to-day, it stands as the councils of Laodicea 
and Carthage stood to the early churches — as 
those councils confirmed the sacred books 
then in use — as those books which had been 
handed down to the churches by the Apostles 
and elders as the word of God. In the pre- 
serving of this manuscript the wisdom of Gocl 
is manifested; here is a complete copy of the 
New Testament, written more than 1,500 years 
ago, every word in it clear and distinct, and 
in all the leading truths of our holy religion, 
agreeing with the translation made by St. 
Jerome in A. D. 385, and Wm. Tyndale, in 
1526, and King James, in 1611, and the new 
version, in 1 881, confirming to the world that 
God had His Word faithfully taught in all 
these ages. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 



OF THE 



NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS. 



Matthew, written in 
Mark, 
Luke, 
John, 
Acts, 

Romans, " 

I. Corinthians, 
II. Corinthians, 

Galatins, " 

Ephesians, 
Philippians, 
Colossians, 
I. Thessalonians, " 
II. Thessalonians, " 
I. Timothy, 
II. Timothy, 
Titus, 

Philemon, " 

Hebrews, 
James, 
I. Peter, 
II. Peter, 
I. John, 
II. John, 
III. John, 
Jude, 
Revelations, ' f 



Judea 38 

Rome 64 

Greece 64 

Ephesus 68 

Rome 64 

Corinth, sent to Rome 57 

Ephesus 56 

Macedonia 57 

Corinth or Ephesus 53 

Rome _ 61 

Rome— — .--,- .___ 65 

Rome . 62 

Corinth 52 

Corinth 52 

Macedonia 58 

Rome 65 

Macedonia 56 

Rome 62 

Rome _ 63 

Judea 61 

Rome . 64 

Rome 65 

Ephesus 68 

Ephesus 69 

Ephesus 69 

Place not known. 

Patmos or Ephesus 96 

43 



QUESTIONS 

FOR 

Sunday School Work, 



No. 


QUESTION. 


Page 


I 


How many books in the New Testa- 
ment? _ _ 




2 


Who are the authors? . 


IO 


3 


Were they learned men? 


II 


4 


When was the first Epistle written? 


13 


■5 


On what were they written ? 


13 


6 


Where were they kept? 


J3 


7 


Was this the practice of the Jews ? 


13 


8 


Were the Epistles sent to churches? 


13 


9 


How many books and Epistles were there 






at the close of the First century ?__ 


11 


IO 


Who began compiling the New Testa- 






ment ? 


T 7 


ii 


When was the work completed ? 


20 


12 


By whom was the work done? 


18 


n 


What words of Christ influenced them ? 


18 


14 


Was it the work of men? 


IQ 


m 


When was Polycarp born ? 


20 


16 


What does he say of the New Testa- 






ment? _ _. 


?,T 


17 


What does Irenseus say of Polycarp ?__ 


22 


18 


What is said of Clement? 


22 


IQ 


What is related of Tertullian? 


23 


20 


What church council convened in 397 ? 


24 


21 


What was its object ?.„ ... 


24 



QUESTION. 

What is recorded of this council? 

Who were th: church fathers? 

What is Paul's and Peter's testimony? 

What is the testimony of Athanasius? 

Who wrote the first church history ? 

What is the testimony of Eusebius? 

Who was Origen and what his testimony? 
What is the testimony of Athanasius, 

Eusebius and Origen? 

About what time was the first transla- 
tions made? , 

What copy of the New Testament was 
written about the close of the Fourth 

century? 

How long was it hidden away? 

In what language was it written? 

In the Fourth century, what noted trans- 
lation was made? 

By whom was the work done? 

What is the title of this translation? 

What was its influence over the nations 

of Europe? . - 

How long was it from the date of this 

translation to Wickliffe? 

By what name is this period known in 

history? 

Who made the first translation from 

Greek into English? 

When was it published? 

When did printing become a success? 

What declaration did Tyndale make? 

In what country did he finish his work? 

What is said of his translation ? 

4 6 



Page 



25 
24 

26 

27 

27 

27 
27 

28 
30 



29 
29 
29 

30 
29 

30 

30 

30 

30 

31 
31 
32 
32 
32 
32 



No. 



QUESTION. 

When was the New Testament divided 

into chapters and verses? 

Where were the numbers of the verses 

placed? ^ 

What Bible was the first to accept this 

division? . _ 

By whom was this Bible made? ___- 

When were the verses marked by breaks 

in the texts? __ 

What caused King James to order a 

translation? „ . 

When was this version completed? 

What is said of this version? 

What are the three most important 

manuscripts in the world? 

Where are they deposited? 

Who discovered the Sinaitic? 

Why is it considered the most valuable ? 

Describe it and give its age .— — 

Of what advantages was it to the revisors 

of the New Version? . 

Who composed the company of revisors 

of the New Version? „ 

What relation does the Sinaitic manu- 
script hold to the church of to-day? 



Page 



4 6 

47 
48 

49 
5o 



5i 

52 
53 
54 

55 
56 
57 
58 
59 

60 
61 



34 

34 

34 
34 

35 

35 
36 
36 

36 
37 
38 
38 
38 

41 

4i 

42 



Biographical Sketch of Our Saviour. 



IN this brief sketch, we shall attempt to 
bring together a few of the leading facts 
as given by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 
As a historian, Luke stands in the front rank, 
and in the second chapter he relates many 
interesting facts that are omitted by the others. 
In the seventh verse, the humble birth of the 
Christ is given with a truthful simplicity; 
and in the eleventh verse, for the first time, 
His birth is proclaimed in the beautiful lan- 
guage of the angel to the shepherd: "For 
unto you is born this day in the city of David 
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." And 
there was with the angel a multitude of the 
heavenly host praising God. And from Mat- 
thew ii. 9, we learn that a star guided the 
shepherds to where Jesus was born. And 
Herod the king, wishing to see Christ, Joseph 
being warned by an angel, took the young 
child with his mother, and fled into Egypt, 
where they remained until the death of the 



19 



50 

king. After this they returned to the ]and 
of Israel and dwelt in the city of Nazareth. 
Lnke gives us all the information we have 
concerning the childhood days of the Saviour 
in Luke ii. 40 : "The child grew, and waxed 
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and the 
grace of God was upon him." In the forty- 
second verse we are told he went up to Jeru- 
salem with his parents, and was twelve years 
old, and when his parents had completed their 
mission, after they had been a day's journey 
on their way home, they noticed the child 
Jesus had tarried at Jerusalem. When they 
found him not in their company, they re- 
turned and found him in the temple, sitting 
in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them 
and asking them questions. And all that 
heard him were astonished at his understand- 
in^; and answers. 

In this brief narrative the Saviour manifests 
a strength of mind remarkable for one so young 
in years. ]NTo wonder that he developed into 
the grandest teacher of our race. How strange 
of all the words of wisdom that he spoke in his 
youthful days, but one brief sentence is placed 



51 

ou record. Luke records he said to his pa- 
rents : u How is it that ye sought me ? wist 
ye not that I must be about my Father's 
business? " Did not the Saviour, in this brief 
expression, foreshadow the grand mission of 
the redemption of our race, which his Father 
had given him to work out? And we are 
told that he went down with his parents to 
Nazareth, and was subject unto them. In this 
we have a lesson of love and duty to parents, 
taught for the children of all ages. From this 
time on we learn that "Jesus increased in wis- 
dom and stature, and in favor with God and 
man." 

By the Jews Joseph was looked upon as the 
father of Christ, and by occupation Joseph 
was a carpenter. It was the custom among 
the Jews for the son to follow the occupation 
of the father. We learn from Mark vi. 3: 
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, 
the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, 
and Simon ? and are not his sisters here with 
us?" Here we have a faithful picture of a 
family consisting of parents, sisters and four 
brothers, in which Jesus lived and toiled until 



52 

lie was about thirty years old. And about 
this time John came, Luke iii. 3 : "Came into 
all the country about Jordan, preaching the 
baptism of repentance for the remission of 
sins." And we learn from Mark i. 9 : "Jesus 
came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was bap- 
tised of John in Jordan," and a voice came 
from heaven saying: "Thou art my beloved 
Son;" and in verse thirteen: "He was there 
in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan ; 
and was with the wild beasts ; and the angels 
ministered unto him." What the nature of 
this sore conflict with Satan and the wild 
beasts of the desert was, will remain forever 
unknown. It may be that the ministration of 
the angels consisted in giving him power to 
resist the wiles of the devil, and protect, him 
from wild beasts. 

Immediately after his temptation in the 
wilderness, as recorded in Luke iv., a remark- 
able conversation took place between him and 
Satan. Jesus being now about thirty years 
of age, for the first time he enters the grand 
arena of the world as a public teacher of our 
fallen race. In his public teaching, his man- 



53 

ner was as one having authority — his doctrine 
so remarkable that those who heard him were 
astonished. Often his words were as kind and 
gentle as those of a mother. "Come unto me, 
all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest." "Jesus said unto her, 
'neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no 
more.'" In reproving sin, his words were 
sharp and pointed : "Woe unto you, Scribes 
and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye shut up the 
kingdom of heaven against men; for ye 
neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye 
them that are entering to go in." "Ye are 
of your father the devil, and the lust of your 
father ye will do." Where can words be found 
so pure and elevating as the following, that 
have the power to enlighten the mind, refine 
the heart, and cast a light along life's path- 
way, ever with an upward tendency, until 
the enraptured soul has caught a glimpse 
of the eternal world? "I am the light of 
the world; he that followeth me shall not 
walk in darkness, but shall have the light 
of life." "God is a spirit, and they that 
worship Him must worship Him in spirit 



54 

and in truth." Are not these the words of 
inspiration ? 

We learn from Luke that the custom was 
to enter the synagogue on the Sabbath day, 
and to stand up and read. When he came 
to the city of Nazareth, where he had been 
brought up, he read from the book of Isaiah, 
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because 
He hath anointed me to preach the gospel 
to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the 
broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the 
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, 
to set at liberty them that are bruised, to 
preach the acceptable year of the Lord." 
Here the Saviour introduces himself to his 
brethren as a teacher sent from God, and for 
his authority the word of God as spoken by 
the prophet Isaiah ; and to their astonishment 
he declares : "This day is this Scripture ful- 
filled in your ears." 

The leading facts have been briefly narrated 
in the life of Jesus Christ as given in the four 
books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, 
from his birth to his baptism, and his coming 
before the world as a public teacher ; and I 



am not sure it would be in keeping with the 
mission of our work to follow the Saviour in 
all his work and labor of love to his death on 
the cross (which took place when he was 
about thirty three years of age), for they are 
faithfully narrated in God's word so plain that 
a wayfaring man need not err therein. We 
have closely studied economy, that we may be 
able to offer this book so that all may be en- 
abled to buy and read it ; for it has the power 
to kindle upon the altar of the human heart a 
fire that shall burn forever. And that the 
man of God may be perfect, thoroughly fur- 
nished unto all good works, I will add the 
following: The Apostle Peter says: "Be 
ready always to give an answer to every man 
that asks you a reason of the hope that is in 
you." The Saviour, once on a time, asked the 
question* "Whom do men say that I, the 
Son of man, am?" In this age of inquiry, 
how often do Christians have this question 
asked by men of intelligence: "If there 
lived 1,800 years ago such a man as Jesus 
Christ, as you Christians affirm, I should like 
to have some testimony from ancient history 



56 

not found in the Bible?" We learn from 
Grecian and Roman history that about the 
time our Saviour came, there was a general 
expectation that some remarkable person 
would make his appearance. And that such 
a person did appear, and that he taught a 
strange doctrine, and performed wonderful 
works that no man could account for, is 
attested by the following witnesses: Caius 
Cornelius Tacitus, who was praetor of Rome 
about the year A. D. 88 ; as a nistorian and 
writer he stands high; Celcus, the famous 
Epicurean philosopher, lived about the year 
A. D. 173; Porphyry, who flourished about 
the year A. D. 270, wrote many books, and 
some were against Christianity; Julian the 
Apostate, as he is styled by some, because at 
one time he embraced Christianity, and after- 
wards apostatized, and wrote some seven books 
against Christianity. 

In keeping with the mission of our work 
we are only allowed to make a summary of 
the testimony of the writings of these eminent 
men. Some of these persons held high posi- 
tions under the Roman government. Such 



57 

testimony will hardly be called in question 
by persons of intelligence. We will name a 
few gleaned from their writings : First — In 
the reign of Augustus Caesar there was born 
in Judea, Jesus, who is called the Messiah. 
Second — On account of persecution, he was, 
by his parents, taken into Egypt, and shortly 
returned to Judea. Third — That Jesus, who 
is called Christ, was publicly executed at 
Jerusalem as a criminal while Pontius Pilate 
was governor of Judea, and Tiberius empe- 
ror of Rome. Fourth — The genuineness of 
the four Gospels and book of Acts. Fifth — 
Many things concerning the manners, doctrine 
and worship of the primitive Christians are 
distinctly named. 

For the benefit of those who think they are 
guided by reason, and call in question the 
truth of the Bible, permit me to invite their 
attention to this fact: We know it has 
pleased God to respect our reasoning facul- 
ties, for He saith in His word, "Come, let us 
reason together, saith the Lord." For this 
cause He has pleased to rest the proof of the 
truth of His revelation upon matters of fact. 



58 

This brings the demonstration within the 
reign of evidence. Now, what class of men 
make it their business to deal with evidence ? 
The legal profession. The head of this pro- 
fession in England is the Lord Chancellor. Is 
it not a remarkable truth that the three last 
Lord Chancellors have been deeply religious 
men? Now, who will say that such men, 
whose reasoning faculties have been trained 
to the highest state — men who are not com- 
mitted to a profession which requires certain 
belief, but who are lawyers ; that these men 
would accept the truth of Christianity with 
blind unreason, would be absurd. They only 
believe because they know. Here is, then, a 
safe foundation for less favored people. Now 
if such master-minds as the last Prime Min- 
ister of England, who is one of the most 
erudite men living; and some of the most 
profound lawyers of our own country, who 
have given time and thought to sift the evi- 
dence upon which the truth of Christianity 
rests, have concluded the evidence is sufficient, 
that the reasoning is sound, the conclusion 
firm, then is it not reasonable and safe for us 



59 

to accept the truth, they have proven for us, 
and say the word of God is true and abideth 
forever ? The Bible is that word. 

" It is better to trust in the Lord than to put 

confidence in men. 11 

" For ever, O Lord, thy word' is settled in 
heaven 11 



APPENDIX 



On looking over the History of the New 
Testament, the conclusion is sustained that it 
is a part of the Bible, as much of its doc- 
trine — which is of such vital importance to 
the Christian world — is received directly 
from the Old Testament. Christ and his 
apostles quote largely from its sacred pages. 

Believing it will be appreciated by young 
persons, we invite attention to some truths 
that are of profound interest to those who 
feel an interest in a future state. God has 
been pleased, in His wisdom, to reveal these 
things to man step by step, as he became able 
to bear the light. God saw that it was good 
so to teach man for more than three thousand 
years, until He had elevated him to that state 
where " he heard unspeakable words, which it 
is not lawful for man to utter." The Bible 
gives this revelation by teaching man, First 
— That in the beginning God hath created all 
things, upholding all by the might of His 



62 

power. Second — That there is but one true 
and living God; that He hath appeared and 
communed face to face with man. TJiird — 
That there are spiritual beings called angels. 
Fourth — God himself is a spirit. Fifth — 
That after the death of this natural body 
man will enter a spiritual world, where he 
will live eternally. Sixth — That God reveals 
Himself to man as a being of reason, and man 
possessing the same power. "Come, now, and 
let us reason together, saith the Lord." In 
doing this he manifests himself as the Son of 
God clothed with a mortal body, to be 
tempted, tried and suffer in all respects as a 
man, and yet without sin. Through His per- 
fect life He offers eternal life to all who will 
love and obey Him, revealing Christ as the 
author of eternal salvation. How elevating 
the thought of man and his Creator commun- 
ing together, his reasoning faculties giving 
him the power to understand these revelations 
which he so earnestly desires. The Bible 
raises the curtain of the unseen world, reveal- 
ing God in a spiritual world surrounded by a 
host of spiritual beings clothed in pure white, 



63 

in a state of blissful enjoyment. These beings 
God is pleased to call angels ; and the light 
of this world is the countenance of the living 
God. This world is called Heaven, and all 
who will love and obey God are promised a 
home in this beautiful world after the toils, 
cares and sufferings of this life have ended; 
yea, that the highest idea of human hap- 
piness shall be realized, namely — that father, 
mother, brother and sister and friends are 
invited to meet and dwell together with God 
and angels. This is the problem of human 
life solved upon a bright and glorious plan, 
reason confirming, amen, amen. 

The Bible reveals another state in the un- 
seen world, which is a state of outer darkness, 
and is presided over by an evil being, whose 
name is Satan ; and those who enter this state 
on account of evil deeds committed while in 
the body, are banished from the presence of 
God and His holy angels, for ever and ever 
to dwell in this state which is called Hell. 
The Bible reveals to man good and evil, ex- 
horting him to cleave unto that which is 
good, warning him to shun the very appear- 



04 

ance of evil. It is revealed, that between 
these states, that is Heaven and Hell, there 
is a great gulf fixed which utterly prevents 
anyone from passing from one place to an- 
other. These are a few momentous matters 
revealed to man by the Christian Bible. 
Other books are as silent as the grave on 
these great truths. "Oh, give thanks unto 
the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy 
endureth forever." 



THE NEW TESTAMENT, 



WITH 



APOSTOLIC REFERENCES. 



There is no other Testament published that has 
the same references. They bring to light the fact 
that the parables and teachings of the Saviour 
are explained and taught by the Apostles. The 
life of Christ and the eight writers are placed 
at the beginning of the writings of each one. A 
most useful and instructive table, giving the para- 
bles and miracles in each book, is added. No book 
published has been so highly spoken of by the fol- 
lowing eminent scholars and publishers : 

G. H. Laughlin, President of Hiram College, 
Ohio; David H. Moore, Chancellor of Denver 
University, Colo.; Robert Graham, President Col- 
lege of the Bible, Lexington, Ky. ; H. M. Heart, 
M. A., Dean St. John's Cathedral, Denver, Colo.; 
Prof. J. W. McGarvey, Lexington, Ky. ; Rev. Reu- 
ben Jeffrey, Pastor First Baptist Church, Denver, 
Colo.; Elder Isaac Errett, editor of Christian Stand- 
ard ; E. T. Drinkhouse, editor of the Methodist 
Protestant; Elder J. F. Rowe, editor of the Chris- 



tian Leader ; Prof. Wm. Hurt, author New Testa- 
ment Commentary, Edinburgh, Scotland. 

What these men say as to the value of this book 
is summed up in the following words: 

" Elder Jackson has succeeded well in showing 
that God's plan of interpreting the Holy Scriptures 
is His own word. The author has shown scholar- 
ship and a due regard to the essential meaning of 
God's word." 

"These Apostolic references show the word of 
God rising in majesty, shaking off the interpreta- 
tions of priests, pastors, bishops and popes, showing 
that God's word is self-interpreting." 

" I am delighted with the second edition of your 
Reference Testament. I wish every unbeliever 
would read your Life of Christ, and that of the 
Apostle Paul. The book is eminently suited for 
missionary work. I venture to say that a reader 
who will carefully study the New Testament with 
these references, will learn more of the plan of 
salvation than from more than half the commenta- 
ries ever written; and no minister that will use 
these references one month in preparing his dis- 
courses but what will use them the rest of his life." 

" The plan of Rev. C. Jackson's Apostolic refer- 
ences is eminently logical, simple and scriptural. 
The life of the Apostle Peter is richly worth the 
price of the book; and why have not these tables 



67 

been put into our Testament more than one hun- 
dred years ago?" 

The following is a sample : 

PARABLES AND FIGURES OF SPEECH. 



RECORDED BY 


MATT. 


MARK. 


LUKE. 


JOHN 


Axe laid root trees 

Whose fan in hand 

Ye are the salt ,__ 


iii. 10 
iii. 12 
v. 13 
v. 14 

v. IS 
vi. 13 
vii. 2 




iii. 9 
iii. 17 




Ye are the light 








Light a candle 


iv. 21 


viii.x6 




Let not left hand 




Measure meet to others 

A well of living" water 


iv. 24 


vi. 38 


iv.I4 
XV. I 


I am the vine 















Those buying this book will have the advan- 
tages of the New Version, as the differences are 
noted at the bottom of the page. 

jfgi^Price of the book, bound in cloth, $1.50. 

Send money, Postoffice Order or Check. 

Cortes Jackson, 
Box 1 866, Denver, Colo. 



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